UPDATE - Issue 29 - Spring 2007
Cancer-fighting supplements
Researchers worldwide are discovering a cornucopia of compounds in foods and dietary supplements that show promise for preventing cancer. More than a dozen research papers on this topic were presented during a one-day specialist symposium at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.
A dietary component found in most whole grain foods, beans, nuts and other high-fibre items shows promise in animal studies as a potent weapon for preventing prostate cancer. The compound, inositol hexaphosphate, was fed to animal models of prostate cancer and resulted in up to a 66% reduction in tumour size in comparison to control animals. The compound, which is sold in stores as a dietary supplement, adds to a growing number of products – including lycopene, milk thistle extract, vitamin E and selenium - that also have shown promise against prostate cancer.